A Midnight Clear
by chocolatequeen
Summary: When the Doctor takes Rose to cut down her first Christmas tree, the magic of Christmas leads to their first kiss. Eight x Rose soulmates au, sequel to Where You Least Expect It


"Are you going to tell me why we're clomping through a snowy forest on a random, uninhabited planet?" Rose shot the Doctor a teasing glance, and his soulmark tingled as he picked up on her amusement. "An' maybe why you've got an axe in your other hand?"

A gust of wind whistled through the trees. The Doctor pulled his green velvet coat tighter around his body—days like today, he was thankful he could regulate his body temperature.

Rose arched her eyebrow, and the Doctor laughed and squeezed her hand. "Today, Rose Tyler, I'm introducing you to the Earth Christmas tradition of chopping down a tree." Rose was human, but in the centuries since Almina had been colonised, several traditions had been lost. He'd been appalled to learn Alminan humans didn't have Christmas trees _at all_.

She looked around at the towering trees, and the Doctor knew exactly what she was thinking. "I don't think any of these trees will fit through the TARDIS doors."

He laughed and pulled her through a narrow opening in the forest. "We won't be taking one of the older trees," he assured her. "There's a stand of new growth right through here… if I brought us where I meant to at least," he mumbled under his breath.

Rose snorted. "That'd be a first."

Her tongue peeked out behind her teeth, and the Doctor gasped in pretend outrage. "Rose Tyler! Are you implying my driving is anything less than stellar?"

"You can't deny it, Doctor." She tugged her hand from his and backed up a few steps. "You haven't once piloted us into a sun."

The Doctor blinked twice, then he gaped at her when the meaning of her pun caught up with him. In all his years waiting for his soulmate, he'd never expected their wit and humour to match his so perfectly.

"Oh, I'll get you for that," he growled, stalking towards her. "Rose Tyler… Run!"

She laughed merrily, her cheeks rosy from the cold and happiness, then spun around and ran down the path, with the Doctor close on her heels.

oOoOo

Hours later, after they'd picked out a tree and dragged it back to the TARDIS, Rose realised they were still on the planet. "Aren't we gonna leave yet, Doctor?"

The Doctor shook his head, and Rose's soulmark pulsed with his excitement. "There's one more thing I want to show you, now that it's dark out." He helped her back into her coat and made sure her scarf was tied securely around her neck. "Come on, we'll miss it if we don't hurry."

"Time machine, Doctor," Rose retorted.

His eyes sparkled down at her, excitement making them look bluer than usual. "True, but it's easier if we don't miss things the first time."

Rose raised an eyebrow and nodded at the door. "Well then, you'd better show me what special thing we're going to miss, etc etc."

The Doctor chuckled, a warm, happy sound that made Rose's insides melt. Then he pulled the door open and ushered her outside with a hand at the small of her back.

The sky was completely dark, and Rose sucked in a breath at the number of stars sprinkled across the expanse. "I didn't know the universe was so big," she whispered.

"The universe is big," the Doctor agreed as he took her hand. "It's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes…"

A shimmer of light appeared in the night sky—just a ripple of blue first, followed by a wave of green and red, and then pink and purple.

Rose stopped walking and stared up at the sky. A moment later, the Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Sometimes," he whispered in her ear, "incredible things happen and we call them miracles." Soft, fluffy snowflakes started falling as he finished the sentence.

Rose leaned against his chest as the light show continued. "You're not going to tell me all about the science behind it?"

She felt the Doctor shake his head. "Not this time. Unless you want me to? But I'd rather not diminish the magic of the moment by explaining what's really happening."

As the colours in the sky deepened, Rose noticed something else. The snow-covered trees were sparkling. It wasn't the obviously artificial glow of fairy lights, but something far more real. It looked like each tree had been coated with a fine layer of glitter, and they were catching the light in the sky and reflecting it back up.

"It's gorgeous," she breathed.

The Doctor's arms tightened around her waist, and his nose brushed against her cheek as he nuzzled into her. Rose's heart raced at the simple intimacy of the moment. Despite the soulmarks binding them together, they had both agreed to allow their relationship to progress naturally, instead of jumping straight into a romance.

But tonight, standing in his arms beneath the starry sky, she knew it was time. She whispered his name and turned her head, letting her lips graze his jaw.

The Doctor's reverent intonation of her name sounded like a prayer. He loosened his hold on her so she could turn in his arms, and Rose slid her hands up over his shoulders, tilting her head back in invitation at the same time.

Joy shifted back and forth over their soulbond as he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers in their first kiss. The magic of the Christmas tree forest faded around them, and all Rose was aware of was the miracle of being in her soulmate's arms.


End file.
